A STEP in the right direction

Leanne Bighetty spoke with confidence to the crowd gathered for the official launch of STEP in Prince Albert.

She is one of the first graduates of the Supported Transition to Employment Program for people who have been involved with the correctional system.

"I would like to see other people out there complete the program and do good for themselves," she said.

"I hope they take it, change their lives and not go back into the same position."

Bighetty got out of a correctional centre in May after serving a month.

"I felt like I never wanted to go back there," she said.

She was looking for a way to keep herself busy and avoiding falling back with her same peer group. A parole officer got her in touch with STEP.

Rick Martin, an assisted living coach with STEP, said the program fills a gap in reintegration of offenders.

"They get out on the street, they have no ID, no house, only their old friends ... they get back into their old life," he said.

The program intervenes and helps people to make healthier and different decisions towards leading productive lives, he said. This breaks the cycle of reoffending.

"This is what STEP is all about," said John Fryters, the co-ordinator of the program. "We are living in a community full of federal and provincial correctional institutions and we have the duty to reach out to those being released back into our community with mercy and compassion.

STEP gives employability training, counselling, course work including anger and stress management, and a work term. The program was created at Jubilation Residential Centres Inc. in partnership with Catholic Family Services of Prince Albert, North Saskatchewan River MÉtis Local 269 and the Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing.

The $200,000 of projected funding is provided through the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour and earmarked to provide up to 210 male and female offenders with employment services to transition them from the criminal justice system to the labour market.

The first program intake began in June and the funding for this pilot project will last until April 2010.

Bighetty graduated the program in late August then entered the food and beverage program at SIAST.

ahill@paherald.sk.ca